by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 11, 2025
In the five years since the first MARS Maryland 5-Star appeared on the scene at Fair Hill, it has improved what it offers with each edition.
While the Oct. 16-19 eventing fixture continues to attract top horses from the U.S. and overseas, there is even more for families to enjoy this autumn, from pony racing and the Corgi Cup to the hands-on activities in the Kids Corner.. There’s also a local food festival and the beer, wine and spirits festival. The Real Rider Cup founded by Anita Motion, benefiting Thoroughbred aftercare, will be making its debut at the competition.
New Zealand’s Tim Price is a regular at the MARS 5-star.( Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Tickets are on sale at https://www.maryland5star.us/ for the event presented by Brown Advisory. It’s possible to attend on a budget with prices starting at $18, and general admission free for children 10 and under.
Options include reserved seats, hospitality packages at the main arena and a Saturday-only VIP hospitality offering at the Sawmill Waterfront Club, located along the cross-country course at the MARS Sustainability Bay. Tailgating for the cross-country phase on Saturday of the event will go on sale in July.
Oliver Townend of Britain, Maryland winner in 2024 with Ballaghmor Class. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
The event continues to increase in popularity. Last year, 32,000 people attended the 5-star, an 11 percent increase from 2023 for the production of the Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 11, 2025
Ronnie Beard, Otis Brown Jr. and Fran and Joe Dotoli were recognized for their contributions to the sport by the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame. The two horses inducted with them for 2025 are Lyle and Tindle.
The Hall’s Owner of the Year was plural; John and Stephanie Ingram, while Tom Wright earned the Trainer of the Year title.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 9, 2025
We told you last month that this was going to happen, when McLain mentioned to me at Devon that Contagious was retiring, adding that it hadn’t been formally announced yet.
Now it has. Here’s what McLain said about his reliable partner:
“With a tremendous amount of pride and gratitude, we would like to announce the retirement of Contagious. Contagious came to us from Reed Kessler who produced him beautifully through his early career. Through the incredible support of Beechwood Stables, Lise and Annabel Revers and Max Amaya, we acquired Contagious in 2018.
“Contagious is horse who has always given his best, and at times more than that. We hoped for him to be a successful Grand Prix horse. In the end he became a championship star, competing successfully at a World Games, two World Cup finals, a Pan Am Games, winning team gold and individual bronze.
McLain and Contagious at Devon.
“His crowning achievement was being a member of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic team that brought home a silver medal. Contagious will enjoy his retirement at the beautiful Beechwood Stables in Weston, Mass. Special thanks to all of our team who worked with and cared for him so diligently over the years, especially our home team led by Lee and Erica McKeever, Owen Rogers and Virginie Casterman. Thank you for all the great moments Poussin!
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 7, 2025
Eve Jobs, daughter of the late Apple wizard Steve Jobs, in August will marry British Olympic team gold medal show jumper Harry Charles, according to the NY Post and other outlets.
The bride-to-be is a 26-year-old rider and fashion model whose credits include a cover of Vogue. Her mother, Laurene Powell-Jobs, is one of the world’s wealthiest women. Harry’s father is Peter Charles, a member of Britain’s 2012 gold medal show jumping team. At age 25, Harry is ranked number 32 in the world on the Longines list.
by Nancy Jaffer | May 27, 2025
Reacting to “recent opinion pieces that raise critical concerns and alarming allegations regarding the unethical treatment of horses in our sport,” the U.S. Equestrian Federation Tuesday sent out a strongly worded statement calling on “every member of the equestrian community…to stand up for our horses.”
USEF CEO Bill Moroney and COO/Legal Counsel Sonja Keating advise that “When we unite, we can transform the sport, making it stronger and more sustainable for the future.”
Click here to read an article on this website about discussion involving governmental oversight of horse sports.
Moroney and Keating noted, “We call on every member of the equestrian community to join us and stand up for our horses. When we unite, we can transform the sport, making it stronger and more sustainable for the future.”
Here is what else they had to say: We unequivocally agree that we cannot tolerate mistreatment or doping of horses. Such actions are harmful to horses and bring our sport into disrepute. As a community, we are responsible for holding each other accountable to ensure the respectful treatment and proper care that horses deserve.
USEF maintains sport integrity and horse welfare through regulations. We are focused on strengthening our enforcement mechanisms while maintaining integrity in our processes. We want to share the following most recent measures and efforts to improve our sport and safeguard horses.
• Establishment of stricter penalty guidelines for rule violations.
• Expansion of rule enforcement for unethical treatment of horses.
• Adoption of the requirement that members must participate in investigations.
• Introduction of a new warning card system, with real-time online updates for issued warnings.
• Allocation of additional resources for investigating and resolving reports of horse abuse and doping.
• Simplification of reporting methods through electronic reporting forms online and an anonymous texting platform for making reports. Learn more here.
• Redesign of the USEF website for more user-friendly access to information regarding the unethical treatment of the horse and the disciplinary process. Learn more here.
• Innovative advancements in operations for the equine anti-doping sample collection and case management system.
Additional efforts for implementation by January 1, 2026:
• Enhance the equine anti-doping program by collecting and testing hair samples to detect prohibited substances.
• Expand educational resources on unethical treatment of the horse and demystifying the USEF disciplinary process.
• Create resources on what a good life for horses means, such as providing adequate nutrition, recognizing signs of exhaustion, distress, or onset of illness, and proper veterinary care.
• Educate licensed officials, participants, and competition management on the unethical treatment of horses and the new warning card system.
• Clarify the roles and responsibilities of USEF licensed officials and appropriate actions to take for unacceptable conduct.
• Enhance sports governance structures, transparency, compliance, and training for USEF stakeholders.
• Host live town halls on USEF’s horse protection efforts.
• Establish opportunities for dialogue and improve communication.
Your vigilance will promote a safe and respectful environment for our horses to train and compete. Our equestrian community must unite and uphold standards of good conduct, where every member actively fosters an environment of accountability and respect.
We need you to promote respect and make a positive impact in the following ways:
• Always be a role model of good sportsmanship and horsemanship.
• Verify facts. Fact-check headlines and emotionally charged social media posts from credible sources before sharing to avoid misinformation and hasty judgments.
• Don’t gossip or spread information you have not verified. It harms our sport and further threatens our social license to operate. Second-hand or third-hand information is often unreliable information.
• Report incidents to USEF that you see or know to be true; we rely on your awareness. Know your reporting obligations and Know how to report.
• Immediately document the incident with a photo or video and notify a Steward, TD, or Competition Management if on competition grounds. Always notify USEF whether the incident occurs on or off competition grounds.
• Text 28733 (2USEF) or complete a report form to report any concerns.
• Familiarize yourself with the four-step resolution process for reports and the timelines for resolving reported rule violations.
• Disciplinary proceedings are legal proceedings. Initiating disciplinary action requires a logical and rational unbiased assessment of the facts and circumstances. Thoroughness in the fact-finding stage is crucial, and it takes time. USEF affords members a fair and equitable process, which is time-consuming. The resolution may extend longer when criminal authorities or civil litigation is involved. USEF collaborates with but does not interfere in criminal investigations or civil lawsuits. As a private association, USEF lacks subpoena power. Criminal and civil proceedings have greater access to compel witnesses and information, leading to the discovery of evidence. Information from those proceedings aids in resolving matters through USEF disciplinary processes.
• Recognize that USEF cannot take disciplinary action based solely on gossip, a tip, or video posted to Facebook or other social media platforms. Eyewitness testimony or other evidence must corroborate an incident to prove a rule violation and withstand legal scrutiny.
• Educate yourself on USEF drug and medication guidelines.
• Keep informed of the latest research and evolving best practices for training techniques and equipment use.
• Provide constructive feedback by emailing feedback@usef.org. Your constructive feedback is essential. We ask that you provide it respectfully and thereby contribute positively to the improvement and growth of our community.
